As Is features the watercolor works of now Minneapolis-based artist Buzzy Napoli. Napoli treats his subjects with a thoughtfulness that is felt by the viewer. These are objects that have existed within his personal world, but they have shared context that, through his medium, comes in and out of focus. The show will run through December 26th, 2018.

Join us for the opening reception Friday, November 9, from 6-8 PM.

Forage Modern Workshop, 4023 E Lake St, MN 55406

From the artist:

The phrase As Is functions in most scenarios as a caveat emptor: scrawled in miniature within the borders of a record’s price sticker or as a neon addition to an online auction listing. It’s an indication that something isn’t quite right, that something is less than perfect. Removed from the context of the marketplace, however, As Is and the imperfections it denotes function less as a warning than as an existential affirmation. Indeed, everything is As Is. As Popeye would say, “I yam what I yam.”

Even within the confines of commerce, to suggest that an object is As Is prescribes a certain autonomy to the object in question. It exists,warts and all, regardless of human perception, monetary value and desirability. Like us, it is kinetic, vibrating and moving through time.

This collection of drawings functions as an exploration of objects - some fleeting, others long-standing - as they appear to me and as they are, in all their flawed, misrepresented and multi-dimensional glory. The drawings, of course, are also As Is, so buyer beware.

Buzzy Napoli (b. 1985, Long Island, New York) earned a BA in Gender and Women’s Studies from Connecticut College, New London, CT in 2007 and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA in 2017. His work tends to explore the significance of everyday objects and actions through watercolor and video. He currently lives and works in Minneapolis, MN.